Shannon Sharpe kept his promise.
After he and Chad Johnson were up in arms over the monetary figure that United States Olympians receive for a gold medal ($37.5K), they agreed on their Nightcap podcast that they’d foot the bill for $25K to any American who took home a gold medal. Since the 2024 Paris Olympics are over, we know that figure is now 40, but it’s unclear if that was only for individual events.
Sharpe did make clear that he would put up $50K of his own money and award that to U.S. Olympians who came away with a world record. Last week, he made sure to make the distinction that U.S. long-distance runner Cole Hocker, who achieved gold-medal victory in the men’s 1500 meter and set a new Olympic record in the process, would not receive that figure.
That’s because there’s a distinction between world and Olympic record(s).
And that distinction was on full display during a recent recording of Sharpe’s Nightcap podcast with guest Bobby Finke. The U.S. swimmer won Olympic gold and set a world record in the 1,500-meter freestyle.
About 25 minutes into their nearly half-hour conversation, Sharpe held up a check for $50K, on behalf of himself, Johnson and Shay Shay Media. As Finke tried to make it out on camera, he let out an audible “Oh God,” unclear if Sharpe was actually being serious, as the NFL Hall of Famer got his camera guy to zoom in on the check.
“We’re gonna zoom in,” Sharpe told Finke. “We’re gonna make sure you see this. Can you see that, Bobby?”
“Oh my god,” Finke said, barely getting the words out. “Yeah — wow.”
Just as Sharpe was about to explain how Finke could claim the check, Johnson added a condition: Finke must race him in the pool upon returning to his native Florida.
“I’ll do it — whatever you guys want,” Finke said. “I’ll do whatever you guys want. I’ll do anything.”
“If you can beat me, it’s all yours,” Johnson added.
Finke might as well cash his check.
It’s undeniably peculiar to witness someone receive a $50,000 check during a podcast, but his genuine surprise was evident to Finke’s credit. Considering Sharpe and Johnson’s Olympic connections, Finke might have been aware of the offer, but it clearly hadn’t registered until the moment the check was presented.
“I’m proud of you, bro,” Sharpe told Finke. “Congratulations on what you’ve been able to accomplish this far. Stay healthy, good luck down the road; the worlds are next year. And then, two years after that, you got the Olympics in L.A. We look forward to following your career and continued success, bro. Congratulations again on all your accomplishments.”
Finke still had no idea what to say. The words just wouldn’t — or couldn’t — come out.
“I don’t even know what to say,” he said. “You guys — oh, wow. You guys are amazing. Jesus. Holy sh*t. Thank you guys so much.”
[Nightcap]
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.